Piano-player.



C. E. Pie

PIAN@ PLAYER! APPucmou man nmz 22. wu. A

153,535,198. Patented Feb. mm

x l I UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUS E. PETERSON, OE WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOE, EY MESNEASSIGN- MENTSfTO IVERSON- PIANO PLAYER COMPANY,

CORPORATION OF. MASSACHUSETTS.

lOE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS A Truro-PLAYER. y

'Patented Ferias, 1919.

,Appueauon med :une a2, 1917. seriai No. 175,435.

Tooll 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUS E. PETERSON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, inthe Vcounty ofWorcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, havein- -vented a new and.useful Improvement in Piano-Players, of which the following is aspecification accompanied by drawings, forming a part of the same.

The object of my present invention is'to simplify the construction ofthis class of instruments, to Obviate to a large extent the use ofrubber tubing, and to secure 'a metal contact for the pneumatic valvemechanisms,

thereby avoiding the liability of thev valve' actions becoming impairedby reason of y checks or shrinkage incident to .pneumatic valvemechanisms.'when made of wood.

These 4objects I accomplish by the arrangementand construction .of partsas hereinafter described and set forth in the ,accompanyingI drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a top view of a portion of the f lplayer mechanismsuiiieient to-illustrate the character of my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View on the i U covered by theperforation of the music plane of the broken line 2 2, Fig. 1.

Fig'. 3 is a transverse sectional view oxi4 the plane of the broken line43--3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the secondaryvalve on a somewhat smaller scale than shown in Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in thedierent'igures.

The player mechanism .forming the sub- Y ject of this inventionissimilar in its general characteristics to those now in common use,

and it'compriser -motor pneumatic or bellows 1, operatively vconnectedby a rod 2 with against @string of the piano. The motor pneumatic iscontrolled by a secondary valve 3, which in turn is controlled by aprimary yvalve 4. The function and operation of the primary andsecondary valves are precisely the same as in player actions now incommon use. The secondary Valve 3 is mountedthe diaphragm 5 l't closesan opening 8 in the metal shell or cap 9, thereby connecting ,the motorbellows with the wind chest 7 through -he opening the motor bellows. v

Theabove described -action ofthe secondaryvalve l,is controlled by 4which is actuated by a flexible diaphragm .cup shaped 'shell 18.vcommunicates at itsends through pipes 23 thepiano action to swing thehammer-l through a channel 10.v .The windchest 7 is connected` at itsends by pipes 11 leading to an exhaust bellows or Similar apparatus,

by which the air isl exhaustedfrom the'wind chest 7. As the secondaryvalve rises it vopens a passage'12, thereby connecting the interior ofthe motor bellows with the wind chest 7, and vcausing 'the suddencollapse of the motor bellows, which through 1- its. con- ;nection withthe piano action through the rod12 swings the hammer against astring ofthe piano in the usual manner in instruments of this class. When the airpressure is removed from the chamber 6, the seconda'ry-l valve '3 fallsby its own Weight', thereby 12, and admitting air 8` in order toidistend tlie'primary valve 13 whi h closes the space between a longi,tudinal wind chest 14 and a recessedl air chamberl 15," tol which airis Yadmitted through alpipe 16 from a'n opening in thetracker barIwhenever the latter is uns'heet. The raising of the primary valve 4uncovers an opening 17 in the inverted cup shaped lshell 18. The shell18-is oval in Shape in order to inclose a vertical channel 19 whichcommunicates with a horizontal .passage 20 leading to the air chamber6.'

The stem of the primary valve 4 carries a second valve 21, which, as theprimary valve rises, closes an opening 22 communicating with thechamberinclosed by the inverted The wind chest 14 with a wind exhausty bellowsor other similar apparatus. Y

As soon as the perforation in the tracker bar is cldsed'by the musicsheet the pressure 'of the air in the air chamber 15 is reduced by means'of a'small bleed opening connecting the pipe 16. at `so rne convenientpoint. not shown,

withthe chamber from which the air has upper surface of block of wood24. Recesses 6 and 15 are then formedjbelow the .wind chests andproperly spaced according ber inclosed by the shell or cap 9. A thinmetallic plate 25, preferably ofsheetsteelor aluminum, and of Athe samewi'dth and length as the block 24, havingan. opening utherethrough inalinement with the passa e 10,- is placed upon the'topV of the bloc withthe air chamber', and a vertical passage is bored'in rthe-block 24 tocommunicate .p

thereby closing the wind chests 7 and 14. A horizontal passage 20 isthenboredfrom the rear edge of the block to communicate through' -asmall opening 26 in' the metal plate, with the interior of the invertedmetallic-cup shaped shell .18. The outer endof the horizontal passage 20is. then closed by a plug 27. The lower end ofthe pipe 16 is bent atright' angles and inserted in the.

block 24 in alinement with the passage '28 communicating with the airchamber 1 5.

The primary v alves 4 'are placed in stag-..

gered relation to the secondary valves 3, so'

' a, line passing transversely through the cen- 1 'each other at right'angles at'thecenter'ato 37 and rest upon the washer v38, Fig. 3. The

staples are bentatrght angles tobri'ng their ter of a valve 4 will passmidway. between two of the valves 3, while the vertical 'chanj nels 19are inline with the valves'3.. The

cup shaped shells 9 are disposed transversely to the wooden block 24 andthe cup -shapedshells 18-are disposed obliquely to 4a line passingtransversely through ,the -block 24 and at right angles to'its edges, inorderv that the shell 18 mayvcover both the valve .4- fr and the passage19. This arrangement of the valves 3 and 4 and the shells 9 and 18thereto, to the recesses 6 and 15 respectively.

By the above described. construction I avoid the use of metal-lic orrubber tubing to establish connections between the' primary andsecondary valves, and as these passages areformedin the wooden block24,"wh1ch l is of considera-ble thickness, and`r when made' of a closetexture there is. little liabilityof a leak occurring between the.'primary' and the secondary valves. The block 24 is also reinforced bythe metalplate 25 upon which the cup shaped shells9.. and 18 aremounted.-

' The stationary leaf 29 of the motorI bellows extends substantially theentire width ef the block '24 and is attached throughout its length tothe block 24, thereby giving a firri and secure support for the motorbellowsg Themovable leaf 30 of the bellows is pro- `vided with anextension Vbracket 31 having an ailjustable connection withV the rod 2.The secondary valve operates between the steel plate 25 and the metalshell. 9, vwhile the valves 4 md i'cafried by theprimary valve stemcontactsvwith the under sideof reduction lin .the expense, and to'establish suitable connection between the primary and 75 secondary'valves I simply elongate'the shell 18 so'as to include the valve opening17 and the'air passage 26', and I place the elongated shell 18obliquelyto .the caps 9 which inclose:

the secondary valve, thereby allowing allemthe passages formed inf-'woodbetween the primarymndsecondary valves to be straight assages; The costructionfof the-secondary valve,

best show'nin perspective view in Fi ,4,"is $5 extremely xsimpleandinexpensive, an at the. l

same timex,.insuring absolute accuracy v:lof

-movement 'if The valve. pimpen-'consists 'of the disk- 32 preferably ofwood andprovidedl with4 a packing, of felt or leather '33 o n its 'Oupper side' and a .smilar'packing 34.V on its underside. Driven into thedisk 32 the proper distance are two light wire staples -l '35 and 36.4The crowns of. the staples cross.

sides parallel and' theisides. ofthe staples contactwiththe edge rof theopening.12. in

Vthe steel plate 25, and thereby serve as 'guides 100 for the up 4'anddown movement ofthe valve. y.

"-1 claim;

maryvalves and a serieso secondary va placed' in staggered vrelation toeach otherY fiexible Vdiaphragms for actuating said valves, air recessesbeneath said diaphragms,

a series of horizontal air passages extendin gtransversely from the edgeof said block, 110- and at right anglesfthereto, to the recesses beneathvthe secondary' valve diaphragms, l means for'closi'ng'g,` theends,.ofsaidpassages at the edge of said block, vertical air channelscommunicating with said'horizontal air 11bpassages and open. at the top.of the block,

.and 'oval elongated cup-shaped,v shells mounted on said block obliquelythereto,- said shells receiving theprimary valves audcovering the lopenends of ,saidvertical airglzo channels. Y-

2. .In an instrumentof .the -characterdescribed, a 'block having alongitudinal chan. nel.l forming a windphe'st, a series of inverted .eupshaped shells mountedonsaid block 125 transversely thereto, a series ofsecondary valves inclosed .by said shells, horizontal-air passagesleading from one edge .of said block, cand transversely thereto, to saidsec.

oiidary valves, means for closing the outer v ends of said air passages,vertical air channels open at the-top of said block andcommunicatingwith said horizontal 'air passages, a serles of primaryvalves placed in staggered 'relation .to said secondary valves, anda'series of oval elongated inverted cupshaped shells mounted onsaidblock and Y placed obliquely'thereto -to receive said pri mary valvesandl cover the open ends of said air channels.

3. In an instrument of the character de? scribed, a blockhaving'longitudinal chan- -nels forming Wind chests, primary andsecondary valves, primary and secondary pneumatics for actuating saidvalves, with said transversely to said block and with said primaryshells disposed in oblique relation to said secondary shells, saidprimary shells re ceiving said primary valves at one end and covering anau'. channel at the opposite end leading to said secondary valves.

CLAUS E. PETERSON. Witnesses:

NELLIE WHALEN, 4 PENELOIE COMBERBACH.

